THE BIG MESS
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1970

The futuristic vision of New German Cinema founder Alexander Kluge, The Big Mess offers a unique and provocative interpretation of sci-fi. In the year 2034, the Kruger star system is dominated by a powerful corporate giant called the Suez Canal Company. Those unable to obtain business licenses of their own eke out a living as rebels or pirates.

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AFTER THE REVOLUTION
Directed by Andras Szirtes, 1990

In this highly experimental interpretation of life in post-communist Hungary, a writer lives a meager existence with his cat as he struggles to complete a novel. The world is understood through the eyes and brain of this cat, which is illustrated via clips from old Soviet propaganda films, point-of-view "cat cam" footage, and crude visual effects.

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THE PRACTICE OF LOVE
Directed by Valie Export, 1984

Judith, an investigative journalist, begins to unravel a murder mystery that implicates one of her current lovers. When she checks out a peep-show business on the seedy side of Hamburg as part of the investigation, she runs into a former boyfriend who used to be a psychiatrist but is now an arms dealer. Judith is lured back into his fold, cheating on her current lovers, one of whom is also a shrink. Despite her profession, or perhaps because of it, Judith tends to blend fantasy and reality, so small wonder she is attracted to psychiatrists.

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THE BASIS OF MAKE-UP I-III
Directed by Heinz Emigholz, 2005

Explore the mindset and artistic vision of iconoclastic filmmaker Heinz Emigholz, who is the originator of "Architecture as Autobiography," a series of documentaries on unique or unusual architects consisting of still images of the subject’s buildings. The meticulousness of Emigholz’s style of filmmaking is spotlighted in The Basis of Make-Up I-III, a three-part DVD that showcases his illustrated notebooks and sketchbooks.

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THE IRANIAN NEW WAVE:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Letters in the Wind directed by Ali-Reza Amini, 2002
Our Times directed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, 2002

Get inside the real Iran through the films of these cutting-edge Iranian filmmakers, who risk censorship and worse to expose and reveal life inside their country. Letters in the Wind tells the fictional story of Taghi, a naïve young soldier from a small village who carries the recorded messages of his fellow recruits to their loved ones -- a mission fraught with unforeseen obstacles. In the documentary Our Times, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad -- one of Iran's courageous female directors -- offers a privileged look inside a recent presidential election, in which 712 candidates ran for the office. Among them was a 25-year-old mother, whose identity as a divorced woman made her prospects dim.

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WILLI TOBLER AND THE DECLINE OF THE 6th FLEET
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1972

During the Galactic Citizen's War, Willi Tobler—played by actor and intellectual Alfred Edel— decides to rid himself of his material possessions and responsibilities after his sector is bombarded. He not only leaves behind his belongings but also his wife and child as he volunteers to be the public relations man for the Chief Admiral of the 6th Fleet; however, his new life does not give him the security he wanted. With its intentionally low-budget look and offbeat intertitles, Willi Tobler evokes the hand-crafted effects of Georges Méliès. Combined with a dependence on improvisation, the film represents Kluge's radical experimentation with a popular genre.

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STILL LIFE
Directed by Harun Farocki, 1997

In this powerful meditation on art and perception, still-life paintings of the Dutch masters are compared with their contemporary equivalents -- advertisements for beer, cheese, and watches. Farocki then goes behind the scenes of a modern advertizing office to show ad execs toiling to create their version of a "still life." Yet, the comparison does not yield what the viewer might expect. In his commentary, Farocki, who earned money to finance the work by taking on commercial photo shoots, acknowledges the need for artistic compromise while de-mythologizing the creative process.

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THE FORMATIVE YEARS (I)
Directed by Heinz Emigholz, 1972-75

The Formative Years (I) presents the earliest work of acclaimed documentary filmmaker Heinz Emigholz, whose films from the 1970s reveal his ties to legendary experimental filmmakers Michael Snow and Ken Jacobs of the New American Cinema, who were major influences on his work. Emigholz's thought-provoking documentaries represent a link between fine art and filmmaking. In Schenec-Tady (I-III), Arrowplane and Tide, he explores the interplay between the temporal nature of film and still compositions of landscapes. The films consist of thousands of photos, taken frame by frame, cut together to suggest the illusion of time and speed.

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THE HAUNTING CINEMA OF FRANTISEK VLACIL:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK

Czech director Frantisek Vlacil followed no movement and adhered to no dogma. His quiet films of poetic beauty and poignant storytelling were distinct from both the sanctioned directors of his communist homeland and the Czech New Wave that rebelled against it. As such, he has fallen through the cracks of film history to be resurrected by this special two-pack. Adelheid (1970) is a star-crossed love story about a WWII Czech soldier who falls in love with his German servant, while The White Dove (1960) follows the tale of an injured racing pigeon who is nurtured back to health by a frail boy. Both are visually impressive, remarkably modern in approach, and hauntingly poignant.

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WARRIORS! AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Swordsmen in Double Flag Town directed by He Ping, 1990
Journey to the Western Xia Empire directed by Lu Wei, 1997

Intense action and drama highlight these two films about honor and sacrifice in medieval China. Swordsmen in Double Flag Town, a martial arts adventure of honor and revenge, tells the tale of a teenage lad who arrives in Double Flag Town to claim his betrothed bride. Instead, he confronts a group of outlaws, killing one of them. Journey to the Western Xia Empire, directed by the cowriter of Farewell My Concubine, is the story of a courageous mother. When soldiers are dispatched by the emperor to collect male children to be molded into warriors, she follows the band of men, refusing to abandon her child.

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IN DANGER AND DEEP DISTRESS,
THE MIDDLEWAY SPELLS CERTAIN DEATH
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1974

In 1974, Kluge and good friend Edgar Reitz (the Heimat series) roamed Frankfurt for ten days with a camera capturing life in the city at that time -- the political demonstrations, carnival fun, and debate within the congress for the SPD Party. Kluge interweaves the real-life footage with fictional threads about two very different women. One woman seduces men, sleeps with them, and then robs them blind; the other is a spy from the Eastern Bloc. In German with English subtitles.

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WE ARE GOING TO AMERICA
Directed by Efim Gribov, 1992

The familiar tale of an immigrant family's journey to America is turned into a magical mystery tour as seen through the eyes of 11-year old Motl. The boy's imagination spins wildly as he and his family -- loaded down with all their worldly goods and their other-worldly "baggage" -- make their way from the shtetl to America. Inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall, director Efim Gribov interprets the workings of Motl's imagination via comic and grotesque figures, ghosts from the past, and a dreamy, surreal atmosphere.

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THE FORMATIVE YEARS (II): HOTEL/DEMON
Directed by Heinz Emigholz, 1976-79

Hotel and Demon are two films that explore the nature of time in a beautiful, evocative style. In Hotel, Emigholz disrupts the linear narrative via editing, and then reconnects the shots based on recognizable patterns. In doing so, he brings new meaning to the images. Demon is an interpretation of poet Stephane Mallarme's Le Demon de l'Analogie. Hotel and Demon reveal Emigholz's ties to legendary American avant-garde filmmakers Michael Snow and Ken Jacobs of the New American Cinema, who were major influences on his work.

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HE WHO HITS FIRST, HITS TWICE:
THE URGENT CINEMA OF SANTIAGO ALVAREZ
Directed by Santiago Alvarez, 1965-73

The head of the newsreel division of the Cuban Film Institute, Alvarez turned the conventional, utilitarian format into hard-hitting, radical agitprop by using found footage and combining it with a graphic sensibility, rapid-fire editing, and bold musical choices. Often improvising instead of using a storyboard or shot list, he forged a personal style within the confines of a state-supported system. Later, when he produced full-fledged documentaries, he retained his innovative techniques and improvisational approach.

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CHINESE HISTORY THROUGH A COMMUNIST LENS:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
New Year Sacrifice directed by Sang Hu, 1956
Red River Valley directed by Feng Xiaoning, 1996

Communist China re-views and reworks its history in two dramas focusing on the plight of women in different historical eras. New Year Sacrifice offers a tale centered on China’s oldest and most important celebration, Chinese New Year. Based on a short story by popular writer Lu Xun, this domestic drama follows the life of a young woman, who is trapped by traditions that sell her into marriage, enslave her to her husband's family, and eventually turn her into an outcast. In the award-wining Red River Valley, director Feng Xiaoning delves into China and Tibet's rich history, offering a coming-of-age story set during the 1905 British occupation of Tibet. A young woman finds new life after being rescued by a Tibetan woman, but that life is complicated by the British when they arrive to control Tibet. Both films in Mandarin with English subtitles.

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STRONGMAN FERDINAND
Directed by Alexander Kluge, 1976

Tense and taut, Strongman Ferdinand remains director Alexander Kluge’s most accessible film. Kluge, a master at political drama, chooses a realistic mode and a straightforward story to create a timely story of terrorism. Heinz Schubert stars as Ferdinand Rieche, the head of security at an important chemical firm who becomes obsessed with finding security risks. He fabricates threats to demonstrate his expertise and to suggest that he is indispensible, ultimately leading to harsher tactics and tighter enforcement. When the company director questions the need for such controls, Rieche considers the director a risk. In German with English subtitles.

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BLACK & WHITE
Directed by Boris Frumin, 1991

Lisa, a young Russian émigré new to New York, and Roy, an African-American apartment manager, bond as they eke out a meager living on the city's Lower East Side, but their budding relationship is thwarted by economic realities and personal responsibilities. Set in the early 1990s, before gentrification, Black & White captures the gritty locale as well as the difficulties of escaping a fringe existence. The film is populated by an assortment of bohemian artists, disenfranchised immigrants, sexual surrogates, and working class stiffs, who respond to life on the edge of society in different ways.

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AFRICAN LEADERS:
AMILCAR CABRAL & FRANTZ FANON
Amilcar Cabral directed by Ana Ramos Lisboa, 2001
Franz Fanton directed by Cheikh Djemai, 2001

In this two-DVD set, two African leaders who defied colonialism are profiled and given their places in history.

Amilcar Cabral: An icon of Africa, Amilcar Cabral was the founder of the African Party for Independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) who led the Liberation Movement against Portugal for those countries. Using rare archival footage, director Ana Lucia Ramos Lisboa accurately chronicles both the personal and public Cabral. In Portuguese with English subitles.

Franz Fanton: His Life, His Struggle, His Work: Frantz Fanon, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and political leader, became a spokesman for the Algerian revolution against French colonialism. Author of Black Skin, White Masks, he documented the effects of colonialism and racism on the people of colonized countries. Director Cheikh Djemai uncovered scores of Fanon's former associates and interviewed them for this important documentary. In French with English subtitles.

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MOCK UP ON MU
Directed by Craig Baldwin, 2009

Avant-garde filmmaker and master of the collage Craig Baldwin pulls out all stops in this featurelength compilation film based on true stories of California's strange subcultures. And, if they weren’t true, they should have been! Rocket pioneer Jack Parsons, sci-fi author and cult leader L. Ron Hubbard, and New Age earth mother Marjorie Cameron are the "stars" of Mock Up on Mu as their lives are portrayed in pulp-serial snippets, industrial films, and fictional clips from old movies combined with newly shot live-action material. Their intertwined tales exploit California's reputation as the world of the weird while offering a speculative farce on the corporate take-over of spiritual pursuits and leisure activities.

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FILMS FROM THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION:
AN EXCLUSIVE FACETS 2-PACK
Roaring Across the Horizon directed by Chen Guoxing, 1999
Rhapsody of Spring directed by Teng Wenji, 1998

These two fascinating films from Red China offer different -- and unsettling -- perspectives on Mao's Cultural Revolution, which dictated that art reflect and support Communist ideology. Roaring Across the Horizon tells China's official story of the development of its first nuclear bomb as though it were a fable about a heroic struggle in the face of "American imperialist bullying." Rhapsody of Spring follows the life of Zhao Liming, who is patterned after famed Chinese composer Shi Guangnan. He struggles with a myriad of opposing forces during the Cultural Revolution: personal ambitions vs. communal obligation, romantic love vs. loyal friendship, modern music vs. traditional. Both films in Mandarin with English subtitles.

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THE HEIMAT TRILOGY
Directed by Edgar Reitz, 1984/1992/2004

Edgar Reitz's monumental three-series portrait of life in the twentieth century is more than entertainment -- it's a cultural event! Heimat, Heimat II, and Heimat 3 tell the story of the village of Schabbach and the Simon Family from 1919 to the new millennium. Heimat chronicles matriarch Maria Simon as she raises her family amidst the tumultuous changes of the Depression, World War II, and the Economic Miracle of the 1950s. Heimat II follows her son Hermann Simon as he makes his way in Munich during the cultural chaos of the politicized 1960s. And, Heimat 3 picks up Hermann's story as he returns to Schabbach after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In German with English subtitles.

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THE KOBAYASHI FOUR
Directed by Masahiro Kobayashi, 1999-2007

With his stripped-down style and minimalist aesthetic, director Masahiro Kobayashi offers a clean, cool vibe for a new era of Japanese cinema. Kobayashi deals with the issues and problems that plague Japanese culture, often exposing truths that society does not want to see. Bashing tells the story of Yuko, a Japanese aid worker held hostage in Iraq. Her return home is anything but happy as coworkers, friends, and family harass her for her career choice. Shot in black-andwhite, Bootleg Film is a darkly comic road movie about two men, who are best friends despite being on opposite sides of the law. One is a retiring Yakuza, the other a cop, and the two embark on the road trip from hell to attend the funeral of their mutual beloved. Man Walking on Snow follows lonely widower Nobuo who struggles to communicate with his sons. Kobayashi directs himself in The Rebirth, a stark drama about a widower grieving for his daughter, who was stabbed to death by a classmate. Haunted by loss, the man moves to northern Japan, where he spots the mother of his daughter's killer working as a cook at a local inn. In Japanese with English subtitles.

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